LONG BEACH, N.Y. - Residents didn't want to have themselves a merry little Christmas tree. They wanted a big one.
When city officials planted a 7-foot-tall Christmas tree next to a 20-foot-tall menorah in the plaza in front of City Hall, some residents barked. They telephoned City Hall, wrote letters and testified at a public hearing that the tiny tree in the shadow of the huge Hanukkah symbol was an insult to Christians.
"What's up with the giant menorah and the Charlie Brown Christmas tree?" resident Rick Hoffman asked....